Hello All. I replaced the HU with a pyle one, it works great. But after the first fill up I noticed the mpg drop from 32.5-34.5 to 30.
All maintenance is up to date and I didn’t do anything or change my driving style.
So my question is: is it possible that the aftermarket HU requires more power evening when it is not playing anything？ （ it is not a fansy HU, just the cheapest one that has USB and AUX, and most of the time I leave it in AUX mode and didn‘t hook up to anything.)
P.S: my 2003 Vibe base has the amplifier under the passenger seat.
IMG_20130507_174433.jpg (53.28 KiB) Viewed 1344 times
IMG_20130508_122615.jpg (71.23 KiB) Viewed 1344 times
IMG_20130508_122623.jpg (101.63 KiB) Viewed 1344 times
A Psycho Martyr wrote:Nah, I think it's completely un-related.
Could be temp change, quality in gas, hwy/city mile ratio, and number of things.
Doubt it's that H/U tho
Yep I know it sounds weird.....
Actually I've turn off the new HU power for the whole time since last fill up to see if there is any differences. Now there is quarter tank left. U know what? Looks to me that the MPG back to normal again.....it is unclear yet, I will know for sure after filling it up tomorrow.....
05 Matrix XR 4WD and 03 Vibe GT
"If you want Government to solve your problems, then you are the problem!" BMSR
Trix MODS: SRI w/ AEM filter, Vibrant/Magnaflow Cat-back, Alutec Lightweight Crank Pulley
GT MODS: Cosmo SRI, DRL, Auto Stop
I think that it is entirely possible that it is related, but not because of anything related to load on the electrical system.
Now that you have an aux input, you are likely playing more of your own music. To enjoy the new head unit, you are probably listening to some kicking tunes. The music listened to while driving affects driving behavior. Listening to fast paced music that I like definitely makes me drive faster, accelerate harder. Be realistic about paying attention to how you drive during different music energy levels. Also, now that you have MPGs in the back of your mind as a potential issue, you may find yourself driving gentler whithout realizing it, so you may find that the tank with the radio off will give you better MPGs than with it on. I seriously doubt there is any electrical, engine load thing going on there, but psychologically, a good sound system can definitely hurt mpgs.
Also, you said "after the first fill up". Does this mean that you have only had one fill up since the new headunit? One individual tank's worth of MPG is a really poor indicator. Perhaps you didn't fill up the tank quite as much as you usually do. Perhaps this time the pump shut off early. Perhaps you hit more traffic lights than usual. It is best to average MPGs over several tanks, averaging it removes some of the individual tank variances
joatmon wrote:I think that it is entirely possible that it is related, but not because of anything related to load on the electrical system.
Now that you have an aux input, you are likely playing more of your own music. To enjoy the new head unit, you are probably listening to some kicking tunes. The music listened to while driving affects driving behavior. Listening to fast paced music that I like definitely makes me drive faster, accelerate harder. Be realistic about paying attention to how you drive during different music energy levels. Also, now that you have MPGs in the back of your mind as a potential issue, you may find yourself driving gentler whithout realizing it, so you may find that the tank with the radio off will give you better MPGs than with it on. I seriously doubt there is any electrical, engine load thing going on there, but psychologically, a good sound system can definitely hurt mpgs.
Also, you said "after the first fill up". Does this mean that you have only had one fill up since the new headunit? One individual tank's worth of MPG is a really poor indicator. Perhaps you didn't fill up the tank quite as much as you usually do. Perhaps this time the pump shut off early. Perhaps you hit more traffic lights than usual. It is best to average MPGs over several tanks, averaging it removes some of the individual tank variances
Partially agreed~~~ I will do some more fill up to find out
